The Death of the Marketing Funnel (And What's Replacing It)

For decades, marketers have obsessed over the funnel: awareness, consideration, conversion. But here's the uncomfortable truth: your customers don't move in straight lines anymore, and pretending they do is costing you growth.

Why the Traditional Funnel Is Broken

Today's buyer journey looks less like a funnel and more like a pinball machine. Someone might discover your brand on TikTok, research you six months later after seeing a LinkedIn post, abandon their cart, get retargeted on Instagram, ask about you in a Reddit thread, and finally convert after a Google search. They're entering and exiting at every stage, influenced by peers as much as your messaging.

The funnel assumes control you simply don't have. It's a framework built for a world where brands controlled information and customers followed predictable paths. That world is gone.

Enter the Infinite Loop Model

Progressive brands are adopting what we call the Infinite Loop: a model that recognizes customers continuously cycle through stages of discovery, evaluation, experience, and advocacy, regardless of whether they've purchased yet.

This means treating every touchpoint as both a first impression and a retention opportunity. Your checkout page should inspire sharing. Your customer service should drive discovery. Your packaging should prompt re-evaluation of your brand's value.

The companies winning right now understand that acquisition and retention aren't separate strategies. They're the same strategy executed at different moments in an ongoing relationship.

Practical Shifts to Make Today

Start measuring differently. Track how customers flow between touchpoints rather than forcing them into funnel stages. Invest in making current customers your loudest advocates, they're your most efficient acquisition channel. Design every piece of content to work for both strangers and loyal fans.

The funnel gave us a comforting illusion of control. The loop gives us something better: alignment with reality. And in marketing, reality always wins eventually.